a rumor is a wish —

FCC filing shows a possible 2nd-gen Asus Nexus tablet

Could it finally be the "droid" tablet refresh we've been waiting for?

If a recent FCC filing is any indication, we could see a new Nexus device soon. Although this year's Google I/O ended without any announcements of rumored devices, it seems that a 7-inch tablet on stock Android could be coming our way.

Apparently, Asus has sent a 7-inch “pad” device to the FCC for approval. The “K009” tablet is listed on the commission’s online repository with the “Nexus” alias. According to Android Central, the document shows that the device features a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor (referred to as APQ 8064), a 4,000 mAh battery pack, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, and 4G LTE. Other information suggests it will be compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile, and Anandtech's Brian Klug points out that the band on the purported Nexus tablet is also compatible with Verizon Wireless. There is no exact screen size or resolution listed.

Engadget notes that Asus listed the device for “marketing purpose(s)” and that another model, the K008, had previously gone through the rumor mill when it was going through certification with the Bluetooth SIG. It’s possible that this still isn't the tablet we've been waiting for, but it’s made our ears perk up nonetheless.

Florence Ion
Florence was a former Reviews Editor at Ars, with a focus on Android, gadgets, and essential gear. She received a degree in journalism from San Francisco State University and lives in the Bay Area.

I have a friend currently looking to purchase Nexus 10's and a number of retailers are now out of stock and have no idea when more will be coming.

Well for one Asus makes the current Nexus 7 and Samsung makes the current Nexus 10. Doesn't necessarily mean it couldn't be, but the Nexus 10 was released last fall and is still very advanced from a cpu and screen perspective while the Nexus 7 is based on Tech that was state of the art early 2012.

aww, I figured with all the Q3 rumours I'd at least get a few months out of the one I bought a couple of weeks ago .

Still, it was $200, sell it for $150, pick up a new one and it's still worth it's value to me, I imagine FCC approval means it's at least a month away and it'll take a month more for stock to balance out to actually buy one.

Are there any upcoming Google events this is likely to be announced at? I've been fighting an internal battle to resist the urge to get a $150 Nook HD+ and the prospect of a high DPI Nexus 7 gives me even greater pause...

More than anything I want front facing, stereo speakers. Mono, rear-facing on the Nexus 7 sucks.

Hell yes! Honestly this is probably the only thing I'd need to get a new Nexus 7.

Personally I really don't need a back camera, and I kind of like that the current N7 doesn't have one. Mainly because I feel like a back camera can compromise the construction of the device.

and it means all the cases will have a hole that lets dust and whatnot in. no rear camera for me, thanks, or at least a case that blocks it, i'll take it out of the case if I ever need to use the camera.

*Shrugs* I'm most likely never going to get a Nexus tablet because Google refuses to put out a tablet, or phone, with an expansion slot. I load up my 64GB MicrosSD card with a ton of shows and movies to suit whatever I'm in the mood for leaving the onboard storage plenty of space. I would fill up anything Nexus within 5 minutes of owning it.

*Shrugs* I'm most likely never going to get a Nexus tablet because Google refuses to put out a tablet, or phone, with an expansion slot. I load up my 64GB MicrosSD card with a ton of shows and movies to suit whatever I'm in the mood for leaving the onboard storage plenty of space. I would fill up anything Nexus within 5 minutes of owning it.

I said the same thing, but with an OTG adapter and flashdrives its become essentially a non-issue for me now.

*Shrugs* I'm most likely never going to get a Nexus tablet because Google refuses to put out a tablet, or phone, with an expansion slot. I load up my 64GB MicrosSD card with a ton of shows and movies to suit whatever I'm in the mood for leaving the onboard storage plenty of space. I would fill up anything Nexus within 5 minutes of owning it.

Yeah, I heard this argument a year ago when it was first announced. Then I got one, and in the year since I've had it, it's never really been an issue.